In Memoriam: Notable Celebrity Deaths 2010

Ali-Ollie Woodson (far right), who led the legendary Motown quintet The Temptations in the 1980s and '90s and helped restore them to their hit-making glory with songs including "Treat Her Like A Lady,'' died on May 30. He was 58. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)

Dennis Hopper

Dennis Hopper, who brought the counterculture to Hollywood with "Easy Rider'' and led a career marked by successes, failures and comebacks, died at age 74 on May 29.

Ronnie James Dio

Heavy metal icon Ronnie James Dio died of stomach cancer on May 16. He was 67.

Rue McClanahan

Rue McClanahan, the Emmy-winning actress who brought the sexually liberated Southern belle Blanche Devereaux to life on the hit TV series "The Golden Girls,'' has died. She was 76. (Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images)

Ernie Isley, Chris Jasper, Marvin Isley

Marvin Isley, the bass player who helped give R&B powerhouse the Isley Brothers their distinctive sound, died at a Chicago hospital on June 6. He was 56. (AP Photo/Magic Sound Productions)

Bob Sheppard

Bob Sheppard, whose stylish, elegant stadium introductions of New York Yankees from Joltin' Joe to Derek Jeter spanned more than a half century and earned him the nickname "The Voice of God,'' died on July 11. He was 99. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)

Harvey Pekar

Comic book writer Harvey Pekar, whose "American Splendor'' was made into a 2003 film starring Paul Giamatti, was found dead in his home early July 12, authorities said. He was 70.

George Steinbrenner

George Steinbrenner, who rebuilt the New York Yankees into a sports empire with a mix of bluster and big bucks that polarized fans all across America, died July 13. He was 80. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images)

Jay Reatard

Garage-punk rocker Jay Reatard, real name Jimmy Lee Lindsey, died January 10 at age 29. The cause of death is unknown. (Photo by Roger Kisby/Getty Images)

Art Clokey

Art Clokey, the creator of Gumby, died in his sleep on January 8 at his home in Los Osos, California, after battling repeated bladder infections. He was 88.

Erich Segal

Erich Segal, writer of the novel and movie "Love Story," died of a heart attack on January 19. He was 72.

Howard Zinn

Howard Zinn, an author, teacher and political activist whose leftist "A People's History of the United States" sold a million copies and became an alternative to mainstream texts and a favorite of such celebrities as Bruce Springsteen and Ben Affleck,died on Jan. 27. He was 87. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

Teddy Pendergrass

Soul singer Teddy Pendergrass died on January 13 at age 59 at a hospital in Pennsylvania. Pendergrass had suffered from colon cancer.

J.D. Salinger, author of "Catcher in the Rye," died January 28. He was 91.

Jean Simmons

Actress Jean Simmons died January 23. She starred in such classics as Guys and Dolls and Spartucus. She was 80.

Gaines Adams

Chicago Bears defensive end Gaines Adams died on January 17 at the age of 26. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Casey Johnson

Daughter of New York Jets owner Woody Johnson and heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune Casey Johnson was found dead at age 30 on January 4. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)

David Brown

David Brown, a film and theater producer who helped bring to the screen two of the 1970s' biggest hits, "Jaws'' and "The Sting,'' died Feb. 1. He was 93.

Corey Haim

Actor Corey Haim died in Los Angeles on March 10. He was 38. (Photo by Thos Robinson/Getty Images for AFM)

Merlin Olsen

Merlin Olsen, a Hall of Fame defensive lineman and member of the Los Angeles Rams' "Fearsome Foursome'' who followed up football with a successful television career in "Little House on the Prairie,'' NFL broadcasts and commercials, died March 10 after battling cancer. He was 69.

Peter Graves

Peter Graves, the tall, stalwart actor likely best known for his portrayal of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in the long-running television series "Mission: Impossible," died of an apparent heart attack on March 14. He was 83.

He Pingping

He Pingping, the world's shortest man, died in Rome on March 13 after developing chest problems while filming a television programme in Italy. He was 21. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images)

Alexander McQueen

Brilliant and controversial British fashion designer Alexander McQueen was found dead in his London home Feb. 11 after anguished Internet postings that revealed his deep sorrow at the death of his mother. He was 40 years old.

John Forsythe

John Forsythe, the handsome, smooth-voiced actor who made his fortune as the scheming oil tycoon in TV's "Dynasty'' and the voice of the leader of "Charlie's Angels'' died after a yearlong battle with cancer on April 2. He was 92. (Photo by Newsmakers)

Dixie Carter

In this Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008 file photo, Dixie Carter arrives with husband Hal Holbrook for the 80th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. "Designing Women" actress Dixie Carter, who used her charm and stately beauty in a host of roles on Broadway and television, has died. She was 70. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)

Lynn Redgrave

Lynn Redgrave, an introspective and independent player in her family's acting dynasty who became a 1960s sensation as the freethinking title character of "Georgy Girl'' and later dramatized her troubled past in such one-woman stage performances, has died. She was 67. (Photo by Matt Carr/Getty Images)

Helen Wagner

Actress Helen Wagner, who played mild-mannered Nancy Hughes on the CBS soap opera "As the World Turns'' for more than a half-century and spoke its first words died on May 1. She was 91.

Dorothy Irene Height

Dorothy Irene Height, who as longtime president of the National Council of Negro Women was the leading female voice of the 1960s civil rights movement, died April 20. She was 98.

Lena Horne

Singer Lena Horne, who broke racial barriers as a Hollywood and Broadway star famed for her velvety rendition of "Stormy Weather," died on May 9 at age 92.

Doris Eaton Travis

Doris Eaton Travis, one of the legendary Ziegfeld Follies chorus girls, who wore elaborate costumes for the series of lavish Broadway theatrical productions in the early 1900s, died May 11 at age 106, public relations firm Boneau/Bryan-Brown said. (AP Photo/Adam Rountree, File)

Art Linkletter

Art Linkletter, the 98-year-old television and radio show host, spoke at a seminar about elderly drivers and safety Wednesday June 19, 2002, in West Des Moines, Iowa. He says older people who aren't safe drivers are often reluctant to admit it because they worry about losing their independence, but people should speak up to keep roads safe. (AP Photo/Steve Pope)

Gary Coleman

Gary Coleman, the child star of the smash 1970s TV sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes'' whose later career was marred by medical and legal problems, has died May 27 after suffering an intercranial hemorrhage. He was 42. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Pop singer Eddie Fisher gained fame crooning love songs like "I'm Yours'' and "Thinking of You'' to teenage girls in the early 1950s. But his life was overshadowed by drug use, gambling and failed marriages to actresses Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor.
Fisher passed away Sept. 22 at his home in Berkeley of complications from hip surgery. He was 82.

George Blanda

George Blanda, the seemingly ageless Hall of Fame quarterback and kicker whose 26-year career was best remembered for a remarkable run of late-game theatrics with the Oakland Raiders, died on September 27, 2010. He was 83. He scored 2,002 points in his career, a pro football record at the time of his retirement, kicking 335 field goals and 943 extra points, running for nine touchdowns and throwing for 236 more. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

Gloria Stuart

Gloria Stuart, the 1930s Hollywood beauty who gave up acting for 30 years and later became the oldest Academy Award acting nominee as the spunky survivor in "Titanic," died. She was 100. Stuart died in her sleep on September 26, 2010 at her Los Angeles home. (credit: LUCY NICHOLSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Kenny McKinley

Denver Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley was found dead on September 20, 2010, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was found in the second floor master bedroom of his home. He was just 23. (credit: NFL Photos)

Leonard Skinner

Forby Leonard Skinner was an American high school gym teacher, basketball coach, realtor and bar owner from Jacksonville, Florida who gained fame in the 1970s as the namesake of the influential Southern rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. The New York Times called him "arguably the most influential high school gym teacher in American popular culture." He died September 20, 2010 at age 77 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years. (credit: johnnygoodtimes.com)

Greg Giraldo

Giraldo, known for his work on programs such as Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil, reportedly died from a prescription pill overdose. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis shaped himself from a 1950s movie heartthrob into a respected actor, showing a determined streak that served him well in such films as "Sweet Smell of Success,'' "The Defiant Ones'' and "Some Like It Hot.'' The Oscar-nominated actor died Sept. 29 at age 85 of cardiac arrest at his home in the Las Vegas-area city of Henderson, Clark County Coroner Mike Murphy said Thursday.

Stephen J. Cannell

Stephen J. Cannell, the voracious writer-producer of dozens of series that included TV favorites "The Rockford Files,'' "The A-Team'' and "The Commish,'' died Sept. 30 at age 69. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, file)

Solomon Burke

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Solomon Burke, considered the "King of Rock and Soul," died Oct. 10, 2010 at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport while on a plane from Los Angeles that had just landed. He was scheduled to perform at a sold out concert. His family said he died from natural causes. He was 70.

Tom Bosley

Tom Bosley, who protrayed the patient, understanding father on television's long-running "Happy Days,'' died on Oct 19. He was 83. Getty Images

Barbara Billingsley

The 94-year-old, who played June Cleaver in the
1950s-1960s television series "Leave It To Beaver," died Oct. 16 after a long illness at her home in Santa Monica, Calif. Getty Images

Bob Guccione

Penthouse magazine founder Bob Guccione died Oct. 20 in a suburban Dallas hospital after a long battle with cancer. He was 79. AP Photo

Gregory Isaacs

Gregory Isaacs, the Jamaican reggae singer whose smooth style earned him the nickname "Cool Ruler,'' died on Oct. 25. He was 59.

Dino de Laurentiis

Dino De Laurentiis, an Academy Award-winning film impresario and producer of “Serpico” and “Barbarella” who helped revolutionize the way movies are bankrolled and sold, has died. He was 91. Here he is seen with the Irving G.Thalberg Memorial Award, received 25 March 2001, at the 73rd Academy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by HECTOR MATA/AFP/Getty Images)

Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen, who went from drama to inspired bumbling as a hapless doctor in "Airplane!'' and the accident-prone detective Frank Drebin in "The Naked Gun'' comedies, died Sunday, Nov. 28. He was 84. (AP Photo/Michael Caulfield, File)

Elaine Kaufman

Elain Kaufman in 2004/Getty

Famed Manhattan restaurateur Elaine Kaufman died Dec. 3 in Manhattan at age 81. Her establishment, Elaine's, has long been known as a haven for show business and literary notables.

Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards, who closely advised her husband in two bids for the presidency and advocated for health care even as her marriage publicly crumbled, died Tuesday Dec. 7 after a six-year struggle with cancer. She was 61.

Richard Holbrooke

Richard Holbrooke, a brilliant and feisty U.S. diplomat who wrote part of the Pentagon Papers, was the architect of the 1995 Bosnia peace plan and served as President Barack Obama's special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, died Dec. 13. He was 69/Getty Images

Blake Edwards

Blake Edwards with wife Julie Andrews in 2010/Getty

Blake Edwards, the director and writer known for clever dialogue, poignance and occasional belly-laugh sight gags in "Breakfast at Tiffany's,'' "10'' and the "Pink Panther'' farces, died Dec. 16 at age 88.

Steve Landsberg

Steve Landesberg may have been best known for his role as the intellectual and sometimes annoying Detective Sgt. Arthur Dietrich on the long-running 1970s cop comedy "Barney Miller.'' But younger audiences knew him too -- for a slew of recent parts such as the doctor on the 2008 hit movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall.'' The veteran actor died Dec. 20 at age 65, his agent, Jeffrey Leavitt said.

Sparky Anderson

Sparky Anderson, left, and catcher Johnny Bench after the Reds won the World Series in 1975.

Sparky Anderson, who managed Cincinnati’s powerful Big Red Machine to baseball dominance in the 1970s and became the first manager to win World Series championships in both the National and American Leagues, died on Nov. 4 at his home in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He was 76.

Bobby Farrell

Performer Bobby Farrell, of the 1970's European chart-topping group Boney M, was found dead in his hotel bed Thursday Dec. 30, 2010, while on tour in Russia, his agent said. He was 61. (AP Photo/Keystone, Alessandro Della Bella)

Teena Marie

Teena Marie, the "Ivory Queen of Soul'' who developed a lasting legacy with her silky soul pipes and with hits like "Lovergirl,'' "Square Biz,'' and "Fire and Desire'' with mentor Rick James, died Dec. 26. She was 54.